A Lesson on Sin Inspired by Coffee

Why did I choose to drink the regular coffee for dinner? One can only speculate what was going on in my mind when I made the actual choice. Even I am not completely sure what I was thinking. I suppose my line of reasoning went something like this: “This is what John made and I really want coffee with our breakfast for dinner meal. Maybe if I just have one cup it will be ok. Maybe the caffeine won’t bother me this time.” So basically, I want it and maybe the normal consequences will somehow bypass me.

Hold up.

Isn’t that our justification for sin most times? “I want it. There’s no “good” reason why I shouldn’t have it. Besides, I’m sure any consequences won’t be that bad. There probably won’t be any at all.” Uh, yeah. That’s not really logical is it? All of our actions have consequences and every sin has a consequence that will catch up with us in one way or another.

So back to my coffee story. I drank it, despite my better judgment. And as I lay awake all night because of the caffeine that I was sure would have no effect on me this time, I pondered these thoughts about sin. I pondered Paul’s words about doing the things I don’t want to do, and not doing the things I should. I asked myself again and again why I chose to drink it knowing what it might do to me. And I could give myself no good answer.

Sin is like that. We choose it, again and again, with no good reason to offer for why. We are sinners. That’s why I’m so thankful for Jesus and His Spirit in us to help us make the right choice. Jesus, next time help me choose decaf or none at all!

Thoughts on Intelligence

The Elegance of the Hedgehog
by Muriel Barbery


I will admit it took me almost half the book before I was convinced that I could really comprehend and enjoy what I was reading, but it did lend to some rather complex thoughts. I can't say I really recommend this book but it will teach you some new vocabulary and make you think twice about the world around you.

I have some thoughts on one thought from the book on p166-167.
"I am going to say something really banal, but intelligence, in itself, is neither valuable nor interesting. Very intelligent people have devoted their lives to the question of the sex of angels, for example. But many intelligent people have a sort of bug: they think intelligence is an end in itself. They have one idea in mind: to be intelligent, which is really stupid. And when intelligence takes itself for its own goal, it operates very strangely: the proof that it exists is not to be found in the ingenuity or simplicity of what it produces, but in how obscurely it is expressed."

I found this to be excessively true and quite interesting. I think the human mind is fascinating and we are obviously creatures made to create and explore and acquire knowledge. I think what she describes here is maybe the difference between intelligence and wisdom. Anyone can be intelligent, know alot about something. But it takes someone wise to know how to apply it so it will have the most impact.

I was thinking about space travel and and the exploration of the universe. I can see both sides of the coin. We are born to explore and what more uncharted territory is there than space. I can see how this exploration has benefited us as a society. And yet, how many billions of dollars are spent on this exploration? Enough to feed the world I'm sure. It just seems a little unbalanced. I'm not sure what we are racing towards. It's like we have to keep up with the Jones's because if we don't then...I'm not sure? We get taken over and the country with the biggest guns wins? And this is supposed to convince me that we are intelligent beings capable on our own of doing good?

But I digress. So in conclusion I would just like to say that intelligence is a good thing. But please, don't just flaunt your intelligence as a badge. Do something with it to prove that you deserve it.

I am

I am a writer.

No, I have not published a book. No, I don’t have a column in the local paper. No, I don’t write articles for a magazine. However, I do write. Granted, not as often as I would like, but still, I write. I miss it when I am away too long. The words and thoughts can well up in me until I feel I will burst and can’t get them out fast enough on the page.

I am an artist.

I paint with the vernacular. I am enthralled and delighted by the challenge of taking a thought or idea and expressing it with the brush strokes of the pen (or in my case, the keyboard). My “art” can be simple or complex. It can be realism or impressionism. It can be whimsical, it can be serious. But above all it is my canvas to create as I see fit. There is always something intimidating about staring at a blank page. And then one word after another appears until I am amazed by what’s been brought to life.

I am a reader.

I read for pleasure. I read to learn. I read to think and ponder. Reading is my mental trip to the art museum. There are so many different galleries and types of artwork and they each have their own style and genre. Some works I can pass right by without a second glance and others make me take notice. As I gain inspiration from others “art” it makes me want to continue creating my own.

My first Polenta

I love trying new recipes and foods. The last two Sunday's I've been able to do just that and it's been a blast. This week I tried a recipe from the Cooking Light magazine: Parmesan Polenta and Spicy Sausage Sauce. And a side of sauteed spinach on the side.

The spicy tomato sausage sauce

The polenta- BEFORE

Fresh Spinach

The complete meal!

I think it would have come out great if I had used a different sausage. It called for a sweet italian chicken sausage and I got something completely different, more like a smoked sausage. You can tell I rarely buy sausage. Anyway, so instead of a more Italian feel it kinda had a cajun, gumbo kinda taste. So I suppose if you really like that than it would be great for you.

Overall though, I think it's worth another shot, with some minor corrections. We have a ton left over so we'll be eating it again tomorrow night and probably freezing some as well.

Book Review - Redeeming Love

Redeeming Love
by Francine Rivers


What a wonderful read! It is a semi-modern take on the story of Hosea and Gomer. While some may say once a prostitute always a prostitute, Michael pursues "Angel" with a relentless love. He pursues again and again and by God's grace points his beloved to the one who is the Author of love. What a great analogy of God's relentless and passionate love for us. How often we turn back to our sin not believing things can be different. How often we run from the One who offers us grace. True freedom is found when we surrender to the love that engulfs our soul and let Him define who we are.

It also seemed very relevant to me in terms of the subject matter. Today prostitution forced and by choice is prominent and it is worth noting that what people do is not who they are. They are just as worthy of God's love as we are, which is not at all. He extends his grace and mercy to all who would come to him. How relentless our pursuit should be to bring these "children" out of what they know and show them what true love looks like. I hurt for them. I hurt for the children forced into these awful situations, losing their innocence to satisfy the evil desires of mankind. Hardened by the hopeless situations they find themselves in, locking away their emotions to survive. Who will show them God's love?

3 Apples Doesn't Necessary Mean 3 Apples

I set out to make my first apple pie on my own. I got a nice simple recipe for pineapple, apple pie which looked delicious. I did the easy thing and bought refrigerated pie crusts instead of making my own. I had bought some apples last week. Really, I've been buying apples every week since September and am sad that the season will be coming to an end. But maybe I'll find some really good deals on bulk apples they need to get rid of.

Back to the pie...So the recipe called for 3 apples. I had 3 apples and followed the instructions to the tee. But when I filled my pie crust to the max I still had at least 1/2 the filling left in the bowl. I called my husband over to ask him his thoughts on the matter. There was obviously no way all that filling was supposed to fit in that small pie crust. I re-checked the recipe to see if I had done something wrong. He checked too. Nope. So all I can figure is my apples were really big. This is indeed true, but how am I to know whether or not to use small apples or large apples for the recipe? It does not specify.

However, all is not lost and in fact it turned out quite well. The package I bought had two pie crusts so I just had to make 2 pies instead of one. They came out quite tasty and we will be finishing off the second tomorrow. Yummy. Not bad for a first try.

Before in the oven

All ready to be chowed down!

80's anyone?

We were so thrilled at attend a retro birthday party for a friend of ours. Naturally we had to look the part! John was going for the Vanilla ice look and I guess I was an 80's rocker girl. We got to roller skate! Remember those? It was a blast and something I haven't done for so long. Ahhhh....the memories!

When life gets crazy....

I realize it's been a long while since I've written any posts. It's not for lack of anything to say that's for sure. In fact, I think it's just the opposite. Sometimes life gets in the way. Then before I know it too much life has happened and I feel overwhelmed about trying to play "catch up."

The only solution to this problem that I see is to simply not try. So I will not try to re-cap everything that has happened in life since my last post. It's just too much. Instead let's just start with the present and move forward.

Actually it seems there is probably some sort of lesson in that. If we dwell too much in the past it's impossible to move forward. We just need to let it go and live in the present. So this is my attempt at that. Here's to today! A new day! A new start! A new post!

Seriously #2

I was reading the paper this weekend which is something I like to avoid because it usually leaves me feeling depressed. Anyhow, I came across a crazy little article about a case that was dismissed in court. I am so happy it was dismissed but what got my attention was that the case was submitted at all. Two very well to do young adults were suing their mother for “bad parenting.” Seriously? First of all if people could sue for that, the legal system would be jam packed. No one is perfect. But their “evidence” was ridiculous: a birthday card that was not liked. Not getting a pony or something like that. Seriously? If anything the parents are guilty of raising spoiled brats and the kids are guilty of immaturity. That’s my verdict. And here’s my sentence: Grow up and be thankful for all you have! Be thankful you had parents who provided for you!  

Seriously?

I think I am going to start a new series in this blog called "Seriously?" There are so many things I run across on a weekly, sometimes daily basis that just make me shake my head and say, "Seriously? Are you kidding me?" Sometimes it's things I read. Sometimes its things I hear. Regardless, there are so many things out there that you just have to wonder about.

So today's Seriously? :

The Grapple

I read about this in the Food Network Magazine. The powers that be have modified nature and created an apple that tastes like a grape. Seriously? What is the purpose of that? If you want a fruit that tastes like a grape there is a fruit like that out there. It's called a grape! If you want an apple, eat an apple. I have never once in my life bit into an apple and thought, "Gee, I really wish this tasted more like grapes. That would be the epitome of greatness." What's next? Maybe they can make it a little rounder and smaller, and maybe purple or green. Just a thought.

John turns 30!

It's official. John and I are both now 30 years old! Don't ask how it feels because it doesn't feel any different for him than it did for me. So instead of dwelling on the fact that another year is gone why don't I share what a fun time we had celebrating. Great idea!

Let me start by saying that John's birthday celebrations seem to take on a life all their own. While most people have a birth day. Day being the key word. John has something like a birth week. It seems that the celebration is always stretched out a long time. Not that I mind. I'm not jealous or anything. I guess I'm just happy I get to be in on the celebrations too. 

This year, thanks to groupon we were able to go out to a nice mexican restaurant for his actual birthday. We ate so much and couldn't even finish dessert. No. You did not hear me incorrectly. John actually turned down more food! I know it's crazy. It's hard for me to even believe it myself. If I wasn't there to see it with my own eyes....

Then his small group guys took him out to a sports bar. Guy time. (Insert Home Improvement grunting)

Friday was "our" day to celebrate. We took off work and headed to the Botanic Gardens. John was really impressed and it was a gorgeous day. We had ourselves a little picnic and walked the grounds for a while. They had this crazy Bonzai exhibit and some of these little trees were amazingly intricate! Did I mention that it was a gorgeous day? It was. And also they had some crazy cool flowers which I love taking pictures of.

Our tiny lunch picnic

There is something so cool about lily pads

Ok...natures showerhead?

I love this "hidden" view from Spider Island

John and I just thought these were the coolest flowers.
I mean they are like 4 different colors in 1 flower.

One of the Bonzai trees

I love weeping willows. 

I just thought this looked cool because of the reflection.

So serene!

Some ducks came to visit

We left the gardens and headed to Ravinia where we had lawn tickets to watch the Lord of the Rings on the big screen with the score played live by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. What a cool experience it was! We got there early, but apparently not early enough. By the time we got in the gates all the front lawn seats were taken. We did manage to nab some good seats though and we set up camp. It was tough lugging everything in but well worth it. 

People here take pickniking to a whole new place. Serious is the word that comes to mind. They take it very seriously. Wine, cheese, candleabras, little tables, tablecloths, stakes to hold wine glasses, etc. These are items that were pretty common as I looked around. It was super fun to people watch. We had our subs and chips and cheerwine and were really happy. We had to wait around a few hours before the movie began but it was a beautiful evening and felt great to just be outside. 

Our picnic spot.

The movie itself was wonderful, as always. It was fun to see it on the big screen and I was actually really amazed at the clarity and detail in such a large and far away screen. Since we couldn't actually see the orchestra it was easy to forget that they were playing. The dead giveaways were the odd clapping and cheering that would erupt at the end of various scenes in the movie. That was actually quite amusing. They did a great job though and John really enjoyed it, which is important. 

Saturday we went to Benihana for my cousins birthday and then later to Johnnies Beef, which my Johnny likes. 

Sunday we celebrated with my family at another sports type restaurant. And then capped it off with some Nutty Buddy Pie (another John fav). That ended the celebration but I think he would tell you it was a good birthday. I had fun too. I wonder what festivities next year will bring?

Peace amidst Chaos

I'm not sure how everyone else feels in this world we live in right now, but I feel like things are getting a bit chaotic. The economy is in the tank. Human oppression and trafficking is at an all time high. There are millions without basic necessities while to say that others live lavishly is an understatement. There have been crazy weather patterns causing much devastation around the globe. There is unrest in many countries. It seems to me that most everyone is saying or thinking, "What's going on?"

I was pondering things this morning, early morning. I awoke to what sounded like gun shots at 3am this morning. I think they were actually some really big fireworks. But at 3 am woken up from a sound sleep yet again I was a little paranoid as to what they could be. It didn't help that I read about a car break in last week in our apt. parking lot. I think I'm just getting paranoid in general. So I thought about crime and I thought about our economy and all the things I mentioned above. And I came up one thought. The world is going mad! And there is only one remedy for that. I began to pray.

There is no answer for the chaos and evil in the world, save one. Jesus Christ! And honestly, I don't know how people live in this crazy world. If I did not have assurance of the final victory, and know my future is secure I think I would either be one of two people. I would be depressed, terribly so and probably want to just die, or I would just live it up and not care because I'm gonna die anyway. I am so grateful that because of Jesus work in me that I don't have to be one of those people. I can stand amidst the chaos and have peace.

I love that Jesus offers that peace to us all if only we trust Him. He is so good. It is so reassuring in these crazy times to know there is a God who actually is in charge and has a plan and will one day make everything right again.

Thank you Jesus!

BREAKING NEWS: ADULTS CAN PLAY MAKE BELIEVE!

This Friday evening my husband and I essentially had a "play date" with a couple of our friends. They had us over for a "trip" to Narnia. And you know what? I had a marvelous time! Who doesn't love Narnia!?

I wish I had pictures but you will just have use your imagination as I describe the journey. After we entered the house we were beckoned to the sitting room where we awaited the great feast of Aslan's table with an assortment of books on all things Narnian. We chatted and then were graced with the presence of two beautiful Narnian princesses all dressed up for the feast. (Lisa's girls were adorable).

Eventually we made the trek up the mountainside (stairs) to where the feast lie. It was revealed and I was delighted. It truly looked like what I imagine a Narnian feast to be. There were pyramids of fruit, cheese, meats, breads and cakes, soup, spreads and of course some turkish delight. I felt like a queen of Narnia as I dined on the delicacies before me. They were absolutely scrumptious! It was a lovely dinner that was able to linger as one imagines a true feast should!

Once we had our fill the princesses retired to get the beauty sleep and the Kings and Queens returned back down the mountain to go on the Voyage of the Dawn Treader. (We watched the movie). I love CS Lewis and his imagination and allegory. It is so simple and yet so profound. The man was a genius.

We had such a magnificent time with our friends. And the only question I have to ask is who said kids get to have all the fun?

CAN Concert

Many of you received an invite from me to come and join us last Sunday evening for the 1st annual CAN Concert. The group we've been a part of at church, Christian Advocacy now, put on a great event.  John played the drums in the band and they did a great job! We sold food and goodies and all the proceeds went to a Kenya well project to build wells for clean water. We were able to raise about $1500, which is totally amazing.

Setting up for the event

The Palatine Bandshell. Things were just getting started.

My friend Lisa and I working the ticket tent.

Not only did we raise money but another goal of the event was to raise awareness about our brothers and sisters around the world who are being persecuted for their faith. Some are facing the probability of execution and their only crime is being a Christian. It is a terrible injustice!

As I have been a part of this group for about 2 years now my mind and heart have been opened to so much oppression and injustice going on in the world. God has been challenging me to continue learning about his children around the world. I have become aware of slavery and trafficking. I have been made aware of the extreme poverty of so many in Africa and Asia. I think we like to pretend these things don't exist, but they very much do!

As depressing as it can be it is on God's heart to care for the least of these. And there are things that you CAN do. That's what this group is all about. Awareness and motivation to do what we can. A large part of that is praying. When was the last time you took time out to pray for those around the world, specifically? You CAN do it. I CAN do it.

I could steal president Obama's slogan here, "YES WE CAN." But this is one you can take to the bank because we are not on our own and with God's help and Jesus truth being proclaimed we actually CAN make a difference. Get on board!

When Lightning Strikes

It's common talk around the water cooler by now that we have had some crazy storms this summer. We've had tornados hit in our general vicinity. We've had flooding and winds and all sorts of craziness. Bad storms are becoming old news around here. So it wasn't surprising that Thursday night we were expecting another storm. We had one wednesday night too, so why not Thursday?

I went to bed in normal conditions. No wind, no rain, no storm. Sometime during the night I awoke from a sound sleep to a sound unlike any thunder I had ever heard before. I don't even begin to know how to describe how it sounded but it was loud and close and really freaked me out. I remember my voice saying out loud, "What the heck was that?" Then I clung to John as my racing heart gradually resumed it's normal rate. After that initial "wake up" boom the storm was there. It was thundering, lightning and raining alot but nothing like that explosion to start it all. I didn't think much of it after that and eventually fell back asleep.

The next morning when I went out to my car to go to work I discovered what I think we heard and that is a tree getting struck by lightning in front of our apartment building. I saw splinters of wood strewn all over the parking lot and then saw the tree stripped of bark all the way down in certain parts and charred. Creepy. So I can tell you that when lightning strikes close to home you'll know it. And even if you're asleep, it will wake you up cause it's a crazy terrifying sound.

Bugs, Bugs and More Bugs

I have to start out this post by saying that I really hate bugs! That being said I have sort of a strange fascination of nature and seeing bugs or other critters, as long as they pose no direct threat to me, mostly meaning, when they are dead.  Take, for instance, the spider pictured below.

I would say this spider would be very scary if it were alive. I mean look at the meat on it's bones! However, when I found it in my room at work it was dead. Even then it was hard for me to get too close and it took me almost a week before I worked up the guts to sweep it up and throw it away.

The next photo is of a daddy long legs that was camped out in a corner of my work room. He didn't really bother me because he just stayed in his corner during the work ours. But I did think it was fascinating that one day I looked over at him and he was feasting on a roly poly. And not only that, but not shown in the picture is that he had 3 other roly poly's on the floor. For other meals? Dessert? One can only speculate. The picture is very blurry because I could not bring myself to get any closer than that to a live specimen.

I'm seriously getting itchy just writing this post and I haven't even gotten to the main part yet. The main part is that John and I became aware that we were living with some bugs, quite a few actually. I am not talking about your spiders that show up once in a while or even those ghastly monster centipedes though I abhor those despicable creatures. We actually still don't know exactly what they are. However we do know what they are not, and that is bed bugs.

A few weeks ago now we had discovered some bugs under our bed in a pull out wood drawer we used for storage of linens. There were only a few but with John's job and all the outbreaks of bed bugs in the news we were certainly leery. We washed the drawer and all the stuff inside and hoped that was the end of it. However, it was not to be. We tore apart our whole bed set and threw out almost everything under the bed. Much of it was infested with these tiny bugs. We vacuumed and cleaned as best we could. We inspected every inch of everything around the bed. Oddly enough there were no bugs on the bed, box spring or frame. So that was a plus. We still weren't sure though. I brought a specimen to work to look at with a magnifier and they looked a little like a bed bug in the early stages. I had a friend look at it who had bed bugs before and he thought it looked similar. That was enough for us. So we were 99% sure we had bed bugs at this point.

Magnified many times. The actual size is like 1-2 mm. Very tiny.

Then I found some bugs in our closet as well. That was the last straw for me. We called our apartment complex to let them know our fears and they said they would send a pest company to take a look. That was last thursday morning when I called. I took a 1/2 day and off on Friday. We had alot of work to do. We inspected every item in our bookcase from pens to paper and bagged in sealed bags. We bagged all our clothes in the closet as well.  Basically everything from our shelves and closets got bagged or thrown out. We vacuumed everything. It was a ton of work and by Saturday I was exhausted.  Plus I wasn't sleeping at all because of the bug situation and wondering if they were coming for me in my sleep.

I will say that through this whole ordeal God had given me great peace. Other than the not sleeping part I was rather calm about everything. I think John and I were both just learning to be resigned to the reality of the situation and the fact that we had little control. We could only do so much. Some good did come of things too. We drew together very well and made a great team. We also got rid of a bunch of stuff and were reminded again of how much unnecessary stuff we own and can do without. I also found a skirt I thought I had lost 2 years ago. That was really exciting and I wore it Sunday.

I think the most frustrating part of this whole ordeal, other than the bugs themselves, is our apartment complex's seemingly lackadaisical approach to this problem. I called thursday morning and was told she would call for pest control and let me know when they could come. No one came and I never received a call. Thursday evening John went to the office and talked to the manager. She said she would send someone the next day that she didn't even know about the problem. I was home all day. No one came. I called and was assured they would come Saturday. Saturday by 11:30. No one. I called and she could not guarantee me they were coming but she would find out and call me. No call, but they did come. He wasn't in our apartment too long, but did a quick inspection. He was 100% sure they weren't bed bugs so we were extremely relieved as you can imagine. He did not know exactly what they were but thought some kind of beetle. I've never seen anything like them before.

So anyway, we celebrated having peace of mind and no bed bugs. Of course that doesn't take away from the fact that we do still have some sort of little creatures that think they are welcome when they most certainly are not. He said he would come back this Wed. to spray. Did not come. We called the pest company and they said they would get back to us. No call. The office called me and the manager didn't even know he came by on Saturday so there is lots of miscommunication. She said someone was going to come by this morning to do an inspection again (I did tell her about saturday but she insisted). So I said fine and left out a note with specimens, etc. I got home from work and no one came. I went to the office to find out why not and was told they already did the inspection saturday (DUH!) and no one would be back to spray til mid next week. Really?!

So now here I sit. In front of me is a giant pile of our stuff in oversized plastic bags. Over a week ago I called to report some bugs and if it was not for our diligent efforts at cleaning and killing bugs every day who knows how bad things would be. I voiced my frustration about our apartment being torn apart and the lady at the office actually told me that I could put all our stuff back. Excuse me? If you had bugs crawling on the walls in your closet, would you put your clothes back in? If your closets were going to be sprayed with some sort of pesticide would you want your clean clothes in the same room? I think not!

So we'll see what happens next week in this continuing saga of the mysterious bugs. In the meantime I will just continue to be grateful that they aren't bed bugs. At least I can sleep with that knowledge, though I am still itchy from all this writing about bugs. Yuck!

Spontaneity is the Spice of Life!

I am a planner. I plan everything and sometimes have to remember that life can't always be planned. Today was a day, however that I did not plan. I was spontaneous and a simple question turned into a wonderful date with my husband. 

After church today we had one errand to run, go to Target. We headed to our car in the church parking lot after the service and that's when I asked my simple question, "Do you want to walk?" (Target is not that far from church) My wonderful husband said yes (even though it was in the 90's today). So we started out on our trek to Target. Most of the side streets were shaded so that helped, but the closer we got the less shaded it became and we were both pretty hot by the time we got there. 

We had a leisurely stroll through Target picking up the few items we needed and cooling off in the process.  We made another spontaneous decision at that point and that was to go out to lunch to the little fast food restaurant by Target. They have great gyros and ice cream. So we went to Nikkos for lunch, split a gyro and fries and then got some delicious flavored soft serve ice cream to go. 

It seemed like a good idea to me, in theory, to walk back with our ice cream in tow so it would keep us cool on the "long" journey. Well....it turned out to be quite the adventure being as hot as it was outside. The ice cream was melting as soon as we got outside and we couldn't keep up with it fast enough. By the time we were halfway back the ice cream was gone and what wasn't gone was on our hands, faces and shirts. It was only then I had the thought, "Maybe it would've been better for us to get it in cups." But then we would have missed out on the fun of ice cream on a hot summer day! 

And all that happened just because I asked, "want to walk?"

Maybe I should practice spontaneity more often.

Destination: India

I am sitting here listening to the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack as I write this for a few reasons. One reason is because I have it stuck in my head and really like it and the second reason is to continue to get into an Indian frame of mind. Today we "went to" India via food and travel dvd. Pretty much the same way we went to Japan a while back. This time though we brought some friends along with us for the ride. That was a nice touch!

I will admit traveling to India was much more difficult a challenge than Japan. For starters I had little idea what anything would taste like only having tried Indian food once in my life many moons ago. Even then I don't know what I ate. So choosing recipes that would be enjoyed by all was not easy. I had picked up a cookbook from the library but had to scrap that. However, by the end of the week with still no idea what to make I hit the jackpot with the Food Network website. I found a million recipes that sounded delicious. Then it was just a matter of narrowing down what I wanted to make. That was a challenge too for this indecisive girl.

Menu:

Mango Iced Tea
Nan and Another wheat flatbread (the name escapes me)
Dips for the bread given to me by my dear friend Lisa (Dal Makhani & Palak Paneer)
Hot Indian Snack Mix
Aloo Gobi (Cauliflower & Potatoes)
Basmati Rice (This came out perfect following this recipe. I didn't even need the rice cooker)
Coleslaw with Cumin-Lime Vinaigrette
Vegetable Curry with Mango Salsa Sambal
Dessert: Mango Kulfi (Indian Mango Ice Cream) 
This one did not work out :(
Dessert: Vanilla ice cream with mangos, raspberries compliments of Lisa, and chocolate syrup


Once the menu was decided the next challenge was finding all the ingredients. Luckily we live in a very international city and I was able to locate an Indian grocery store not too far from our place, Patel Brothers. So John and I headed out on our first adventure there. It had really tight aisles and was busy but we were able to find everything we were looking for.

Spices and snack mix I got from the Indian store.
We also got some flat breads not pictured.

Next step was shopping for produce. I think I picked a recipe with about every vegetable imaginable. I actually felt bad for the checkout girl because I had a billion bagged veggies.

I love how fresh and inviting the colorful vegetation looks!

Only when I got home did I realize the mountain ahead of me. While all those veggies look delicious and they are, they needed to be prepared. And that means lots and lots of chopping. So I turned up the Indian tunes I got from the library and had at it. By the end of the night I had just about used every container I owned to store the veggies til morning.

After church today the cooking began and did go rather smoothly. The real question of course would be if everything was edible and tasty. It was hard to take pictures during the process because John was drumming so I was on my own to start. I did not have enough hands or time to do both, but we did get most of the finished dishes on camera. I was very excited that things seemed to be looking very much edible and smelled very aromatic.

One of the flatbreads. This one was a huge hit and I will definitely buy again.

Aloo Gobi. So Delicious and easy and I will be making again.

Coleslaw. This one I could have done without, but it was ok. We have lots leftover if you want any.

Once John got home he was able to help me with some dish washing, table setting and last minute photos before our guests arrived.

Who knew this tiny kitchen could be so international?

The bulk of the Vegetable curry. I did not get a shot with it all together.
Everyone did enjoy this though. Looks like Veggie stew.

Our semi-finished table, minus sliverware, glasses, tea, main dishes and some flatbread.
So in other words we didn't get a great "finished" shot either.

We finished everything up and just set the table when our guests arrived. I had to ask myself how many people I was cooking for because it looked like a feast. But of course I hadn't tasted anything yet. I know, that's a chef's number one rule about cooking, taste everything. Well, I guess it's a good thing I'm not a chef. I'm just a girl who likes to cook. There is no Chef Ramsey in my kitchen!  It wasn't too far in though that I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. It was all good and everyone enjoyed it. We ate a lot and have a lot left over for this week. Yay for leftovers!

We so enjoyed our lunch together and after a brief clean up were able to watch a few travel dvd's about India. It is such an interesting culture and country. There is a vast array of diversity in food, culture and ethnicities between the various parts of the country that I was not aware of. Following our film trip we headed back to the table for some dessert and good conversation. Our time was drawing to a close, but what a sweet time it was.

Some of the dvd's and books I got from the library to aid us on our "journey"

It was so much fun to take some people along with us on our "trip." We did pray briefly for India before dinner and then again after our guests departed. In a country mostly Hindu or Muslim they are in need of the truth as well.

If I had to do it again I may have picked a simpler recipe than the one I did for the curry. It was pretty complicated. However, it all turned out great and I am so excited that my husband allows me to be creative and daring in the kitchen. So far so good. Well.....other than the dessert that flopped, but I will blame that on a lousy recipe :)

I feel like this trip was a learning experience for me in so many ways. Sometimes I allow myself to get so stressed out and most often its unfair expectations or burdens I put on myself. Then I get mad at myself and that stresses me out more. It's not a great cycle. And often I just need to let go, to give up control, to shrug my shoulders and say ok, let's do it and not look back. I second guess, and third guess and so on myself until I drive myself nuts. Anyway, so God was revealing some of this to me this morning as he filled me with his peace and love. I am so amazed by the God I serve.

Secondly it was very cool to get out of my comfort zone in the kitchen. I was using new spices and new recipes that I really had no idea of the taste. I'm not even sure what it's supposed to taste like. But it all worked out.

Thirdly, we were built for relationships. Deep friendships are such a gift and I cherish moments of connection with others. I was so thankful for our companionship this afternoon and just struck again by the goodness of  a God who blesses us in so many ways!

Fourthly I think I am discovering another passion in me that I never knew was there. God has totally been showing me who he made me to be and it's really cool. When I went through my life-changing discipleship/ missions program I chose a life verse for myself, one that I thought reflected my purpose in life.

I chose 1 Peter 4:8-10 "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in it's various forms."


I could understand why I felt this was a good verse for with everything except the hospitality part. I don't grumble, but I never thought that was something I was very gifted at. However, God is revealing otherwise to me. He has been showing me what an act of service, love and in turn worship this act can be. We may not be able to eat a feast everyday, that would be gluttony, but if anyone graces us with their presence at our house then I think God approves of us fixing a feast for a King. Because ultimately our goal is to give back to Him what He has given to us and to share His love with others.

I am so thankful that God knows us better than we know ourselves and continues His good work in us. This trip to India has been a wonderful journey and though it had it's moments of frustration and exhaustion it was also completely enlightening and uplifting.

Where should we go next?

NC BBQ Picnic

We decided that this summer we wanted to have our small group over to our place and introduce them to true NC BBQ. Midwest pulled pork or ribs are nice, but NC style is really good too. So we set the date and time and this past Saturday had our party.

It was the first time we've ever had so many people over to our tiny apartment or cooked for so many so it presented some challenges for sure. But we rose to the occasion and had a blast with it. John was a huge help and I could not have gotten everything done without him.

We got up early and got the meat in the oven. It wasn't an ideal day to have the oven on all day because it got really hot up in here but what can you do. The only way to have super tender meat is to cook low and slow. And it did come out very tender.  John is my meat man and chopper. He did the rub on the meat and pulled it apart once cooked. He also chopped the cabbage up for slaw.

The Meat Rub

John trimming off some fat and rubbing the rub into the meat

Getting ready to chop up the cooked meat. Careful with that knife Johnny!

Carolina pulled pork

John chopping up the cabbage for slaw

While he ran some errands I peeled and chopped peaches for cobbler.

They smelled so yummy

Cobbler before it hit the oven

Then I made some baked beans, recipe compliments of Mom Cox and the finale was hushpuppies. And I have to say I was scared of the hushpuppies because I hate working with the splattery hot oil but this time it actually worked out really well and I was so proud of myself. I think I may even have to do it again in the not so distant future.  The only problem is those are so adictively good that I can't make them too often.

Hushpuppie Batter

Fry baby fry!

Me actually happy that I'm not burning myself

We ran a tight, but relaxed ship and with our quick lunch break were able to sit down and rest a few minutes before our first guests arrived. It was looking a little cloudy all day so we weren't sure if the rain would hold off. Thank God, it did. Everyone came and we introduced them to the food. We all got plates and of course sweet tea. (I forgot to mention we made 5 gallons of that as well.) Then we headed outside and had a little picnic.

Our Iced Tea Maker proved itself. After 9 runs it was still alive.

It turned out great. The kids were able to play and we all just had a really nice time. Most people enjoyed the food too which was really nice. I think we were all stuffed to the max, especially after the cobbler and ice cream sundaes. Ah....good weather + good food + good friends = Great time!